


Wrath

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-20
Updated: 2017-02-20
Packaged: 2018-09-25 19:57:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9841610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Erik calls on his grandmother for help with the Nightdust situation.





	

Jessica reached for the phone automatically when she awoke to a buzzing on the nightstand. But when she actually opened her eyes, she froze. Her phone was still on the nightstand, in its lime green case (easier to see in the dark). Which meant…

“Hello?” said Jess, hoping it was the right person calling her partner.

“Grandma? Oh, right, you would be there,” said Erik. Jess sagged in relief.

“Erik, I… well, I don’t really have to explain, do I?” said Jess, her confidence slowly returning to her. She sat up, shivering slightly as the blanket fell off to expose her bare skin to the chilly morning air. 

“Is my grandfather there?” asked Erik.

“Yes, he’s still sleeping,” said Jess. “I’m a light sleeper.” He didn’t know that she had to be a light sleeper, but it was better that way.

“Well, maybe it’s better that you answered, anyway,” said Erik. “It’s about Madison.”

“Madison?” Jess repeated, feeling her heart race. “What happened?”

“Well, do you know anything about how she had a pet pony called Nightdust?” asked Erik.

“You mean you didn’t?” said Jess.

“No, I didn’t even know there were any ponies on this island,” said Erik. “I thought she was just… making stuff up.”

“If my little girl got in trouble because of you, I’ll-“

“She’s my daughter, mum, not yours,” said Erik. Jess blushed. “Anyway, you can yell at me later.”

“Oh, believe me, I will,” said Jess. “What happened? Hang on, let me put you on speaker phone, I just have to get dressed.”

“That’s disgusting,” said Erik. Jess snorted as she lightly tossed the phone onto the bed.

“Oh, grow up,” said Jess. “Now, tell me everything that happened.”

“A little while ago, my grandfather started noticing that the ponies were going missing. So he and Madison put trackers on them. Then, the next day, they noticed that the trackers showed that the ponies were out on the water. And one of them was Nightdust.”

“I know,” said Jess, picking the phone back up. “She loved that pony.”

“Yeah, she does,” said Erik. “She talked about him all the time, and now she’s been crying almost non-stop about him.”

“Well, I know that she ran away to Jorvik City,” said Jess. “And your grandfather was distraught.”

“So was dad,” said Erik. “Anyway, Louisa helped me find her, and we ended up finding out where the ponies are. With a little help from, um… your sister.”

“Which one?” asked Jess with a smirk.

“You know,” said Erik. “Ana.”

“Ooh, did you two reconnect?” asked Jess, knowing it’d lighten the mood.

“Yes,” said Erik grudgingly. “She wanted to get back with me. I said no, of course.”

“None of us give up on those we love,” said Jess. “Must be a siren thing.”

“Anyway, grandma, you’re getting me off-topic,” said Erik. “We found the ponies at this warehouse on Pier 13 with, um… Dark Core logos.”

“Must be one of our old ones,” said Jess. “And then what happened?”

“The pirate- Mr Anwir- appeared and tried to attack us,” said Erik. “Nightdust threw himself between Madison and Anwir, and he ended up getting injected with this weird drug thing. Apparently, it’s to make horses faster, stronger, and obedient.” Jess swore in a language that nobody but her would recognise.

“How did he get his hands on the Dark Horse formula?” Jess hissed. Great, another rival. But at least it would stall the plans to destroy the world. Especially now that she had something worth protecting.

“I don’t know but I’m going to find out,” said Erik. “It’s not legal. Especially not how they’re keeping the horses.”

“Is that grandma?” Jess heard from the other end of the phone. Her lips curled into a smile at the sound of Madison’s voice. “Let me talk to grandma!” There was a fumbling noise, and then Madison’s voice came through loud and clear.

“Hi, Madison,” said Jess, walking out into the kitchen so she wouldn’t wake her partner.

“Grandma, the pirate stole my horse!” said Madison. “And he’s got all the poor horses in cages, and he stabbed Nightdust with this huge needle, and Nightdust saved me but now he’s trapped there.” She broke down into tears, and Jessica’s heart broke at the sound of her little girl in so much distress.

“Don’t worry, Madison,” said Jess. “I’ll get those horses back for you, and I’ll make that bad man pay for what he did to you.”

“Kill him, grandma,” said Madison, and Jess had to smile at the ferocity in the little girl’s voice.

“Oh, I will, sweetie,” said Jess. “I promise.”

“Madison!” said Erik, and Jess heard him grab the phone back. “I don’t know where she gets that from.”

“I do,” said Jess. “Me.” She laughed at Erik’s groan of dismay. “I’ll be giving her sword-fighting lessons in no time.”

“Please don’t,” said Erik. “She’s just a little girl.”

“Then maybe you should get more involved in her life,” said Jess, moving towards the front door. “Wait, how good is the phone reception on this island? My phone can be used anywhere, so it’s a bit strange to get used to normal phones.”

“Grandpa’s phone is anything but normal,” said Erik. “He’s upgraded it to be able to get reception anywhere. He’s a real tech wizard.”

“Who do you think taught him that?” asked Jess, smirking as she stepped outside. It was cold, but she didn’t have time to go back for a jacket. She had to find her son.

“Did you know he installed hacking software on her GEMO?” asked Erik.

“Oh, that was me,” said Jess.

“I thought you didn’t want to take us into your world,” said Erik.

“Have you tried telling your daughter ‘no’?” asked Jess. “She won’t listen. I’d rather tell her than have her find out the hard way.”

“That makes sense,” said Erik. “But I still don’t like it.”

“Well, too bad,” said Jess. “I have a plan to help the ponies, though. Tell Madison that.” That said, she put the phone in her pocket and searched for some tack for a pony. Finding it, she tacked one up and rode towards the little farm where her son had made his own family.

“Hello, mum,” said Jonas, smiling at her.

“Jonas, have you heard the latest news on Madison?” asked Jess, dismounting and giving her son a hug. It was strange that he was so much bigger than her, but that seemed to be a trend for the children of the Generals.

“No, only that Erik found her. Has something else happened?” asked Jonas.

“Well, she found the ponies,” said Jess. “They’re being kept in a warehouse on Pier 13, in Jorvik City. Do you know where that is?”

“The boat,” said Jonas, understanding immediately dawning upon him. Jess had been the one to suggest that he buy a new boat, after all.

“Yes,” said Jess, smiling. “It’s a very big boat. Big enough to hold a lot of ponies.”

“Will you come with me?” asked Jonas.

“Of course,” said Jess. “I’ve got a bone to pick with Mr Anwir.” Mostly on behalf of the organisation that she ‘worked’ for.

“Thanks, mum,” said Jonas. “I’d be a bit scared to do it myself.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you,” said Jess. “Because nobody does this to my family and gets away with it.”

Once Jess had helped Jonas get everything on the boat for a group of scared, possibly injured ponies, she got her partner’s phone out again and called her son.

“Erik, it’s me,” she said as soon as he answered. “Are you all still there?”

“Yes,” said Erik. “Madison is pretty excited.”

“Yeah, that’s right!” Jess heard Madison’s far-off voice through the phone. “My grandma is gonna come and help save these ponies, and she’s gonna kill you guys!”

“Madison!” Erik called. “You’re gonna get us arrested!” Jess had to laugh.

“Try not to get arrested,” said Jess. “I have something very important to teach you when we get there.”

“Like what?” asked Erik.

“It’s time you learned how to use the powers you inherited,” said Jess. “Now, wait there. We’re on our way.”

“The ocean says she’ll make it so that it’s smooth sailing for us,” said Jonas, walking over to his mother as Jess ended the call.

“Good,” said Jess. “Our mission is important.”

Jonas normally only sailed smaller boats, but he managed to sail this larger one with some help from the ocean. And from his mother, who had once sailed war ships into battle. Though she preferred being part of the cavalry, Jess was a very versatile General.

“You did well,” said Jess as Jonas docked the boat at the pier.

“Thanks, mum,” said Jonas, removing his trembling hands from the wheel of the boat. “I’ve never sailed a boat that big before.”

“You’ll learn,” said Jess. “You’re a natural.”

“Quite literally,” said Jonas with a chuckle.

Jess walked down onto the pier with her son, where Jonas embraced his son.

“Grandpa!” Madison called, jumping over to her grandfather. “And grandma! You’re here!”

“Nice boat, dad,” said Erik, looking up at it.

“It’s on loan,” said Jonas. “Until I get a new boat.”

“Couldn’t you get anything smaller?” asked Erik.

“No,” said Jonas. “But that actually works to our advantage. You see-“

“Explain later,” said Jess. “I have to teach Erik something.”

“Grandma,” said Erik, looking a little uncomfortable around her.

“Oh, don’t worry, you’ll get yelled at later,” said Jess. “Right now, I have to teach you something very important. You remember why I got you that watch?”

“Yes, the ticking,” said Erik, nodding.

“Yes. Today, I’m going to teach you how to use that ticking. Because you can’t just hear time itself, Erik, you can also control time,” said Jess.

“I just wanna be normal,” said Erik.

“Do you want to save those horses and make your daughter smile?” asked Jess.

“Yes,” said Erik.

“Then listen to me,” said Jess. “Concentrate on the ticking. Close your eyes if you need to.”

Madison and Jonas fell silent, as though knowing that Erik would need no distractions. A green aura soon surrounded Erik, and Jess nodded with a smile.

“Good. Now, can you see the lines?” asked Jess.

“Yes,” said Erik, his brow furrowing. Jess knew that he was definitely exerting himself, but he had to do this. There was no way to get the ponies and get revenge if he couldn’t use his power.

“Find the one closest to you and grab it,” said Jess. “Grab it tightly, and squeeze it.” Erik reached a hand out and closed it around something, and suddenly the green aura around him spread out further. Jess grinned. “Now sweep your arms out.” Erik did so, and the green aura swept out over the entire pier.

“Wow,” said Madison. “Can I do that, grandma?”

“No, sweetie,” said Jess. “But you have powers with horses, remember?”

“Oh yeah, that’s cool too,” said Madison, smiling.

“What did I just do?” asked Erik, opening his eyes.

“You froze time within this pier,” said Jess. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired,” said Erik, letting out a long breath. “That was exhausting.”

“I know,” said Jess. “But did you like doing that?” She felt a tiny bit of anxiety, wanting her grandson to enjoy his powers but knowing that he’d rejected them in the past.

“Well, it felt… different,” said Erik. “And I just want to be normal.”

“What if it could protect your family?” asked Jess. “You don’t have to really study it or anything, just let me train you.”

“Let’s just rescue the ponies first, okay?” said Erik. “We can talk on the boat ride back. What did freezing time here do?”

“It put us in a time bubble,” said Jess. “It makes it so that time doesn’t pass in the outside world while we’re in here. So if you try to contact someone outside the time bubble, the call or text or email or whatever won’t go through.”

“So Mr Anwir and his goons can’t call for backup,” said Erik.

“Exactly,” said Jess, nodding. “You’re smart.”

“Thanks,” said Erik. “Glad someone appreciates it.” Jess looked at her son, concerned that her grandson wasn’t being appreciated by his parents.

“Later,” said Jonas.

Jess strode into the building with her family, following Erik and Madison to the laboratory. She recognised this place, vaguely. The cameras were certainly marked with Dark Core’s initials, but she hadn’t heard of the company doing something like this. They usually made their Dark Horses via magic, but Darko had had to make Elise’s by himself… and she had no idea how that had been done.

“Oh, hell no,” said Jess when she stepped into the room. There was a black pony on a treadmill, foam flecking his sides as he trotted along. His eyes looked feral, like those of the Dark Horses that went wrong. Madison cried out and lunged forward, but Erik held her close to him.

“Madison, no. That horse could be dangerous,” said Erik.

“Your father is right,” said Jess. “Stay away from Nightdust, Madison. I know it hurts you.”

“But he’s hurt!” said Madison. “I can feel it, grandma!”

“What?” asked Jess, freezing. Madison could talk to horses, she already knew that, but to feel what they were feeling? There was no doubt about it now.

“I can feel his pain,” said Madison, turning to Jess with tear-filled eyes.

“What does that mean?” asked Erik, also looking at her.

“If she starts firing bolts of lightning from her hands, we’ll be in trouble,” said Jess. But then an alarm blared, and she didn’t have time to worry.

Goons flooded into the room, and Jess grabbed a sword from the shadows. She became a shadow herself sometimes, travelling through the darkness to slash at the goons who tried to stop Madison from freeing the ponies. Erik was a decent fighter, managing to down several goons and only taking a few hits himself. Even Jonas, despite his weight, grabbed a sack of oats and swung it around at goons. Internally, Jess crowed with pride at how her family was faring in this fight.

“Enough!” a voice roared from the mezzanine above. Jess looked up, then scowled at who she saw there. Mr Anwir, in the flesh. Her hands clenched into fists and she clenched her teeth.

“Anwir,” she growled. In a flash, she was behind him, stepping forward out of the shadows and holding the sword to his throat. Anwir chuckled.

“So you brought a Dark Rider with you,” said Anwir. “How cute.”

“What are you doing with these horses, Anwir?” asked Jess.

“I’m making them better and stronger and more obedient,” said Anwir.

“Making Dark Horses, you mean,” said Jess. “How did you get the formula?”

“I’m not telling,” said Anwir. The sword dug in a little deeper, drawing blood. Jess felt him gulp. Now he was scared.

“Tell,” said Jess. “Spill your guts metaphorically, or I’ll spill them literally for you.” Down below, she could vaguely see her grandson and great granddaughter moving around and freeing the horses from their cages. Madison told them where to go, and Jonas was waiting to lead the horses through the corridors and out onto the pier. Nightdust was still on the treadmill, but moving up into a gallop now. Clearly, all the noise was upsetting him.

“A supplier,” said Anwir. “You will find the receipts in my office. If you can find that.” Jess slid the sword across his throat, cutting deeper. “Okay, okay! Behind the doors on this mezzanine, there’s a corridor. Go down the corridor, pass two doors, and it’s the third on your right.”

“Madison, release Nightdust,” said Jess, not taking her eyes off the frightened man in front of her.

Madison said soothing words to Nightdust, then the treadmill stopped and Jess heard an angry horse snorting and pawing the ground. Jess grinned at Anwir.

“Let’s see how you like it,” said Jess, and pushed him. Erik turned away as the pony reared, neighing, and slammed his hooves down on Anwir, even as the man tried to crawl away.

“Yeah, get him, Nightdust!” Madison cheered him on.

“Madison,” said Erik, covering his daughter’s eyes and turning her away from the carnage.

“That’s enough, Nightdust,” said Jess. To her surprise, the horse didn’t obey her. He kept snorting and bucking. Normally, Dark Horses obeyed Dark Riders. They were just made that way. “Madison, tell Nightdust to stop.”

“Okay, Nightdust, you can stop now,” said Madison. “Just teach him a lesson, don’t kill him.” Now the pony listened, flicking his ears towards the girl. He snorted one more time and stomped on Anwir’s hand, then walked over to the girl. Madison put her hand on Nightdust’s nose, petting him.

And a transformation took place. As Madison stroked and talked to Nightdust, he calmed down. The feral look went out of his eyes, and he stopped trembling in fear. Instead, it was exhaustion. He lowered his head, nuzzling Madison’s small hand.

“You healed him,” said Jess, unable to believe her eyes. But the savage beast that she’d seen upon entering the laboratory was now just a simple pony, being petted by a little girl.

“Come on, let’s get them to the boat,” said Erik. As the others left, though, Jess found the information she needed in Anwir’s office and then walked up to Anwir.

“Let this be a lesson to you, Anwir,” said Jess. “Do not mess with my family.” She stomped on the hand that Nightdust had broken earlier, grinding the heel of her boot on it, and then walked away. But then she turned again and glared at him. “And if you even think of taking legal action against my family, I’ll bring the entire might of Dark Core down on you.” Now he looked scared.

Once on the boat, Madison stood beside Nightdust, murmuring reassuring words to him. Jess watched her, thoughtful.

“What is her power?” asked Erik, coming to stand beside his grandmother.

“Something to do with horses,” said Jess. “She can communicate with them, but now she can feel what Nightdust is feeling and she healed him. That’s a Soul Rider power, Erik.”

“That’s not good,” said Erik. “Is it?”

“No,” said Jess. “We made a Soul Rider. That shouldn’t even be possible, Erik. I’m a General, the complete antithesis of the Soul Riders.”

“Maybe it’s all the human in her?” asked Erik.

“Maybe,” said Jess. “That and your grandfather is a guardian of the horses. He will live for as long as the island needs him. And now that Madison is displaying these powers…”

“You think she’s the next guardian?” asked Erik.

“Yes,” said Jess, feeling tears sting her eyes. “And I want her to be the guardian but if she does, then that means Charles will die. If the Soul Riders snatch her up, she won’t be here to be the guardian, but then I’ll have to fight her. And I don’t know what to do.” Erik put his arm around his grandmother, feeling a lump in his throat.

“And what if she doesn’t want to stay on the island?” asked Erik. “What if she wants to travel? See the world? I don’t want to hold her back from that. I was held back, and I hated it.”

“What?” asked Jess.

“Mum and dad wanted me to stay on the peninsula,” said Erik. “But I wanted to be a lawyer elsewhere in the world. It wasn’t fair. I actually resented them for it for a long time.”

“If Jonas wasn’t sailing this boat right now, I’d give him a good telling-off,” said Jess. “Why did they want you to stay?”

“So I could take over the farm and lighthouse,” said Erik. “But I never wanted to do that.”

“You should do whatever you want,” said Jess. “You shouldn’t be trapped just because of your family.”

“Do you feel that way about your family?” asked Erik. “I mean, your old one.”

“Sometimes,” said Jess. “And it’s really not fair because it’s harder for me to leave. And that’s all I can tell you. I’m sorry.”

“Can you teach me how to use my powers?” asked Erik. “I want to learn.” Jess grinned, feeling her sadness and fears melt away. 

“Finally, I thought you’d never ask,” said Jess, hugging him.

“Well, if doing that can protect my family, then I’ll train in it,” said Erik. Jess laughed and hugged him a little tighter.

“I’ve been teaching everyone else,” said Jess. “Your father, your daughter…”

“And I’ll pay more attention to Madison,” said Erik. “Oh, drat, I didn’t have time to organise a stall for Nightdust. And I didn’t unfreeze time back there.” He looked very concerned. Jess just laughed.

“Don’t worry,” said Jess. “Time will return to normal there eventually. And as for Nightdust, you can just make a temporary stall for him and then I’ll help you make a proper one tomorrow.”

“Thanks for coming and helping,” said Erik. “We never could’ve done that without you.”

“Well, I’m normally organising armies. A family is… different, but I think I like it better,” said Jess.

“I don’t care what mum says, from now on, you’re welcome at the farm,” said Erik. Jess grinned. Her family was finally coming together. And all it had taken was a rescue mission for a horse. Just like a real horse-loving family on Jorvik.


End file.
